Washing Machine
by bwilbur
Summary: Entire fic rewritten & chp3 up! Riku put his sweat and blood into living and wallowing in the agnst of his past memories and emotional scars to preserve the worlds surrounding Kingdom Hearts. But for Sora, he's willing to risk it all just for him. [Soriku
1. The Reckoning

**Revision of Washing Machine**

****

Author's Note: Well, after rereading Washing Machine so far, I have to admit that this is one of the shittiest stories I've ever produced. And that's saying something. That's why I revised it, hopefully for the better. The revision helps clarify ooc-ness, the rushed plot, etc. etc. If, for any bizarre reason, you want to see the original versions of the first 2 chapters, feel free to IM me (dragoosey is my screen name) and I'll gladly send it your way. 

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Kingdom Hearts, now reclusive to the outside world, was now swarming with the Heartless that had plagued the outside world years before. Now that the tipped balances have been restored to their former glories, everyone was getting on with their lives, only their dreaded memories of the past tainting their lives ahead of them. Needless to say, they were all off to a shaky, but promising start.

Except for two. Few are aware of their existence, but on the grandiose scale, the fate of the entire galaxy and all of the worlds rests on their hands. One wrong move, and everything would plummet out of control again. Luckily, destiny had chosen two seasoned warriors for the job, two that were capable of the job, and most importantly, two with common sense. Even though reluctant to preserve the balances, they're well aware of their duties and are able to fulfill them with ease, however daunting the job seemed. 

_Damn straight._

Riku grimaced at his opponent. A shadow Heartless. Back when Heartless inhabited other worlds, many would sneer at shadow Heartless when they appeared, knowing that they were weak and didn't cause much damage, even in moderate numbers. Now, easily adapting to the friendly darkness of Kingdom Hearts, the Shadow Heartless bred and mutated into a larger Heartless, much stronger than even the likes of any given Fat Bandit. 

This didn't frighten or intimidate Riku, however. Hell no. Those damned Shadow Heartless never would, even if they just so happened to turn into carbon copies of Ansem himself. Beating them was a cinch to Riku, even without the help of his comrade, Mickey, who at the moment was battling off other Heartless with the same amount of ease. 

Riku stood in a defensive stance, waiting for the Heartless to make its first move. The Heartless, unsure of whether it was a good idea to attack Riku or not, continued leering at Riku with its vermillion, orb-like eyes. 

Riku, getting impatient, ran up to the predator, and ran his sword into the Heartless' back. The Heartless howled in pain as it drew its last breath, and then collapsed onto the ground, bursting into large MP balls. Riku frowned at his small award. He picked them up and absorbed their powers, although he was already fully capable of casting his strongest Magic spells many times over without the aid of the balls. It just wasn't worth the risk to have a Blue Rhapsody or a Red Nocturne pick them up and have the capabilities to cast spells like Firaga or Blizzaga. Not that Riku really minded battling against black magic, but if Mickey fought with the small mages and they happened to have cast high magic, Mickey would go to him and badger him about it. Mickey was also known to bring up Riku's mistakes and faults in impertinent arguments they had engaged in, which Riku definitely wasn't in any need of, or let alone wanted. 

Riku observed his surroundings. Although he could barely see anything in the darkness of Kingdom Hearts, Riku's senses had improved while living in there, and he now could easily hear Heartless from a mile away and even distinguish the musk of various Heartless. 

When he didn't detect any Heartless near, Riku sighed and collapsed onto the ground, hugging his sword to himself and letting energy run through and replenish his body. Riku would have never thought that boredom would be able to drain one's energy, but it had been a month since Riku had been fighting off Heartless and doing little else since the door closed again as he learned that lesson all to well. 

This time around, however, Kingdom Hearts would probably close for the last time. One month, and Riku was already tired of it, yet he would have to face the rest of his life with the same, tedious chore. Mickey tried his best not to seem to mind or complain about it, but Riku saw easily through his wall of resistance as other faces of his personality burst out into the open, and Riku knew that Mickey did have a will to return to his other life. Who wouldn't?

Although Riku was eager to go back home to Destiny Islands, he was also afraid of doing so. If he went back, situations with Kairi definitely would become very awkward, let alone if she even welcomed him back. Even before the whole Kingdom Hearts incident, Riku felt somewhat detached between Kairi and Sora, and tried to hide his jealousy by covering it up with intellect, strength, and a lionhearted demeanor. Riku often wondered if that had worked, but with everything that had played out until now, it didn't matter now, did it?

There was, however, something that Riku wanted to do even more than he wanted to return to his home, or even see Kairi breathing and functioning like an ordinary human being again. He wanted to shrug this desire off, but that same, dreaded thought at the back of his mind often came out of the blue to constantly plague his thoughts.

Sora.

If there was anyone who had the complete right to hate Riku for all he had done, it would be _him_, although Riku certainly didn't want _him_ to hold hostility toward him. Although the events that transpired before being locked away in the wastes of Kingdom Hearts weren't his fault, he put all the blame on himself. 

_It was only my desire to impress him. To show him. … Why the hell do I need to impress him, let alone care for him when he clearly doesn't care for me as much as I do to him? His new, damn friends. And Kairi. I guess I'm the one that can't let go of the past… maybe it's time for **me** to move along, here in Kingdom Hearts. Fulfill my duty that **he** entrusted me with. _

_Or maybe…_Riku heard a faint clicking of footsteps come closer and closer that interrupted his train of thought. Mickey's vague figure appeared in the darkness, as if he was walking closer and closer in the midst of a morning fog. Looking not the slight bit exhausted from killing off several Heartless, he kicked Riku sharply in the ribs.

"Up," he demanded in one, convincing word. Riku groaned, got up, and faced Mickey. Some unknown source of dim lighting barely framed Mickey's features, hugging onto the curves of his ears tightly.

"You don't need to be so mean, you know… I hate doing this as much as you do." Mickey cocked his eyebrow at Riku.

"Hate doing this? Of course I do! I won't be reluctant to admit it," Mickey said snidely. "But… I need to keep my kingdom in tact. I have to."

"No you don't…" Riku smirked. "We can do whatever the hell we want, actually. Hell, we can capture a female Heartless and try to inbreed with it. I've always wanted to create a family."

Mickey glared, "Shut the fuck up." 

"You really hate me, don't you?"

"Mmmm."

"I don't blame you, I'd hate myself too."

"What?"

"…Nevermind."

"…"

Riku regarded his surroundings again, taking in the darkness. Was this how they were going to tolerate each other for eternity? 

"Mickey."

"…"

"Mickey?"

"WHAT?"

"Why us?"

He continued glaring. "Because I foolishly volunteered to do so… and because … well, I dunno. I guess Ansem inadvertently threw you in here… Lucky you," Mickey spat. Riku looked up, only to be greeted by darkness again. _Yea, lucky me…_

"I hate it," Riku said. When Mickey ignored him, he continued on. "It's dark here. I hate it! I can't see a thing here – I really want to get out of here. Hell, I'm willing to do whatever it takes! I don't care if I wreak havoc anymore. I'll chop down that damn door if it's what it takes!"

"You can't chop down that door…" Mickey said a little too quickly. Riku glared at Mickey through the darkness.

"Mickey, can you tell me what happens if one of us dies as a result of a Heartless assault?"

Mickey speculated briefly on Riku's random question. "… That wouldn't happen…" 

"What if it did?"

Mickey didn't respond immediately. "Don't do it on purpose…" his tone suddenly became icy. "I swear, Riku, if you do, I'll kill you with my bare hands."

Riku looked at Mickey quizzically. "You moron, I'd already be dead. Or…" he smiled. "It must mean something else… hrmmmm…"

"Riku, I'm warning you!"

"I guess there's nothing to lose…" Riku said out loud, to purposely push Mickey's buttons. Mickey gave him a chilling glare, which was returned with an amiable smile on Riku's part.

With that, the rest of the day was spent in silence, where the two battled their own thoughts.

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Mickey woke up to a large, sharp object tickling the base of his neck. Mickey darted his eyes to his side and was met by Riku's visage. His silver bangs that usually softly framed his face were gently brushing the surface of Mickey's bare cheek. When their eyes locked, Riku smiled slowly and winked at him.

"Good morning Mickey… or whenever the hell it is right now," Riku greeted Mickey. Mickey snarled at Riku, who just pressed the blade closer onto his throat. "Give me answers, or I'll give you death."  
  


"You know everything," Mickey said softly, fearing the small movements that the muscles of his neck produced could kill him. He breathed slowly and softly as Riku gave him a skeptical look.

"Don't bullshit me. You'll regret it… and… besides, if you don't open your mouth, it will be inevitable that one of us will die," he gave a small smile. Mickey buried his teeth into his bottom lip, as if thinking hard to come to a decision. "Mickey… do you really need to think about it, or are you just buying your time before I kill you?"

"… The death of one of the Guardians will lead to the rise of the Heartless again, the Guardian being the leader of such a cause… and also the opening of Kingdom Hearts… I… we… Riku…"

At that, Riku got up. "What?"

"Don't."

Riku didn't respond to his request, and trailed away, dragging his blade along with him.

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Well? Although I am not completely satisfied with this chapter, I definitely know for a fact that this is a big leap from the last version of chapter 1. 

I'm not too sure, but I think that the last few paragraphs of this chapter are somewhat cryptic. Eh, it was my lame attempt at leaving a cliffhanger, but if you're completely confused, just read the 2nd to last thing Mickey says in this chapter and think about it. It'll come to you clearer, hopefully.

I can show you other things I'm not completely satisfied with, but it would take a long-ass time to type out and I really can't put my finger on how to improve these things. I need fresh eyes. If you see something out of place that you know how I can improve on, please take your time and drop it off in a review. Thanks!


	2. The Battle

"Riku!"

Riku looked back. Mickey was running toward him, a panicked look spread across his face.

"Don't!"

Riku shook his head. "Mickey, please. I just want some time alone by myself. … I promise I won't do anything immediately… stop worrying and just go and kill some more Heartless, or something."

Mickey stayed, watching Riku wearily. "Riku… this, we need to do this. I'd…" Riku held up his hand to silence the King. The King paused. Riku looked his way and continued walking into the ongoing darkness, one hand akimbo while he rested his blade onto his shoulder. Mickey watched him retreat, and sighed to himself.

"Mickey."

Mickey looked back to Riku's direction. He couldn't see Riku amid the darkness, so he concluded that he was a considerable distance away from him.

"Yes?"

"Are we 'Guardians?'"

Mickey blinked dumbly, but didn't answer his question.

"Okay, thanks," Riku walked further into the darkness without saying any more.

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Riku ran his fingers through his hair. His bangs strew over his face, hiding his eyes from the darkness. His hair which normally shined and had a sleek luster in even the dimmest light had a dead hue to it now, in complete darkness. Riku wondered what his eyes looked like in the darkness. The one thing Riku prided himself in appearance was his brilliant green eyes, but now it was overlooked, much like Mickey's own vivid eyes that seemed easy to get lost in in the lighter parts of Kingdom Hearts. Riku often wondered where the small amount of light from certain areas came from. Did the door have light seep into the nooks and crannies of the door? _If so, where exactly was the door?_

Riku recalled Mickey's cryptic message. Something along the eyes of if you become evil, you can spare your sanity and get the fuck out of this hellhole. Riku, who was clearly always the adventurous type, even more so than Sora, contemplated his limited options. Should he, or shouldn't he? If he were in total control of the Heartless, he could keep the Heartless from leaving Kingdom Hearts, right?

Riku was afraid of asking Mickey anymore questions. Mickey's paranoia wasn't worth toying with, and if he did indeed asked the new questions floating around in his head, it would be clear to Mickey that he was leaning towards the idea of opening the door, whether he was or not. But what was he going to do? If he wanted to kill himself, but Mickey opposed to it, Mickey killing Riku was clearly out of the question. And Mickey would never even think about killing himself. Riku sighed and smiled to himself. He stood back up and walked around, hoping he could encounter Mickey at some point. Using his blade as a walking stick, Riku blindly groped around the area.

After getting nowhere pretty slowly, Riku gave up on walking, sat himself down, and called out Mickey's name instead. 

"Mickey? MICKEY!"

Riku waited at the same spot, tapping his foot in a steady tempo as he occasionally called out Mickey's name. Minutes turned into hours as Riku waited patiently.

_Is he ignoring me? _Riku thought to himself. _Oh, no, nevermind… I hear footsteps now…_

Small clicks drummed on the hard ground, getting louder and louder as they came nearer and nearer. Riku walked up to where the noise came from, only to be met with a pair of golden eyes. Dismayed, Riku whipped out his weapon and stabbed the creature. HP balls scattered everywhere, illuminating the remains of the Heartless' carcass and Riku's feet. Feeling a little luckier, Riku gathered the small HP balls together and walked around the Kingdom, in hopes of locating Mickey, with the HP balls as a source of light.

Pow.

Riku stumbled onto the ground, and the HP balls he carried fell and bounced into randomized locations around him. By instinct, Riku got up quickly and held out his blade in front of Mickey's face. Alarmed by Mickey, he put down his sword and glared.

"Mickey?" Riku said rhetorically.

"I know exactly what's on your mind, and I will not allow it," he growled. "Your intentions are only evil; you're going to have to get past me to do jackshit."

"Mickey, I don't want it… I… I wanted to know more about Kingdom Hearts and what I'm doing!" Riku protested. Riku knew Mickey was biased and often refused to admit he was wrong, but continued arguing anyway.

"I told you all you need to know. I wish I could kill you right now… but the outcomes may be deadly…" Mickey shrugged. The lime green light shadowed Mickey's face and danced in his eyes. From the dark hue of his eyes, his eyes looked blue in the light… this reminded Riku of someone special he knew. Riku continued staring dumbly into Mickey's eyes. "… You need to understand your responsibility better, Riku…"

"… What are you going to do about it?" Riku gazed into Mickey's eyes, feeling a bit cocky in doing so.

"I'll maim you. I'll maim your arms so you can't attempt suicide, but keep you strong enough to take care of yourself."

"Well, I can still sit there like a sitting duck and have Heartless kill me…" Riku shot back bravely. That was when Mickey's deadly grimace turned into a worrisome frown.

"No…"

"Mickey…" Riku still didn't completely understand the effects of dying, but he assumed he understood the gist of it. Die and you get to control the Heartless. If Riku was able to control the Heartless, wouldn't he be able to keep them from coming out of Kingdom Hearts and harming others? He grinned. Oh course! "Mickey… I don't see what's wrong. If either of us controlled the Heartless, we can keep them from killing anyone or anything. You see, this is an obvious catch 22. Kill ourselves, relive as the king of Heartless, go back home and keep the Heartless in Kingdom Hearts. Simple! We're gonna die anyway, so why wait?"

Mickey shook his head. "You stupid bastard! You obviously don't know a thing about it!"

Riku scoffed. "You're just arrogant – you know I'm right. Now, excuse me while I go kill myself…"

"NO! DON'T!"

Riku winked at Mickey. He held his blade up to his neck and dug a deep gash into his throat. Riku let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he attempted to breathe, but to no avail. Riku died, right in front of a helpless Mickey. As the effects of the Heartless life consumed Riku, his beheaded body slowly connected back with his head and his sword morphed into a rather thing, yet large Keyblade. Riku didn't look all too different from when he was under the control of Ansem, looking only a tad bit more intimidating. 

"BASTARD!"

Riku looked up to Mickey and smiled. "Mickey!" he said as if Mickey was a friend Riku hadn't seen in a long amount of time. Mickey grimaced at his forced enthusiasm. "Hi!"

As Mickey raked his mind for a caustic response to his optimism, Mickey both felt and heard shuffling of many footsteps. Heartless started swarming in back of Riku, eyeing Mickey hungrily. From tiny baby shadow Heartless to fierce Heartless Mickey had never seen, the Heartless dotted the horizon and darkness of Kingdom Hearts. He gulped.

"Don't worry… I won't kill you…" Riku assured Mickey. "But… one wrong move… and I swear I'll kick your ass. Or… rather, my new friends are going to do so." Riku took his first glance behind his back, trying his best not to look surprised at the legion of Heartless. "Now Mickey, you won't be so stupid to resist, are you?"

Mickey felt a million sets of eyes on him. Mickey, faltering at the attention, could only manage a nod. Riku grinned.

"Good…" Riku smiled an open-mouth, tooth bearing grin – one that reminded Riku of Sora's own victory beam whenever he managed to defeat Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie all by himself back in Destiny Islands. He would used to always regard Sora's training and battling from his signature spot – the paopu tree. Sora's clumsy grace, Sora's determined bravado, and other ironic and odd traits he possessed was what attracted Riku to him. 

"Uh, Riku?" Mickey said timidly, soft enough for only Riku to hear but loud enough to interrupt his brief flashback. He was huddled shyly next to Riku's feet, looking at him from above. "I'll… want me to help you find the door?" he offered bashfully. 

"Oh…" Riku was somewhat disappointed Mickey caught him off guard. "Um, sure…" Riku cleared his throat and turned back to his horde. "Hey… can you guys stay here? We're going to try to find the door… alright? Uh, you guys can roam around Kingdom Hearts… but you guys can't go out of it, okay?" Riku was met by glazed, yet obedient stares. He shrugged and walked away, trying to find the door, Mickey following quickly behind him.

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I know, that was a totally different from the original chapter 2, but I think this chapter offers insight and clarity. By the way, I am also aware I don't build on the Riku/Sora relationship… I will try to do so in the other chapters, but I have no definite guarantees. However, once Riku actually MEETS Sora again, I will build on the relationship a little more :)


	3. Chapter 3izzlee!

Author's Note: huh boy. Thanks, Tama-Kitsune, for catching that mistake. I was sure that I wouldn't make another stupid mistake, but I did. AND I did read over it about 3593859346908704368047608473893704 times. Oh well, but I think I see a trend here… :) 

By the way, I edited the 1st 2 chapters… check them out… they have definitely improved.

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The two reluctant partners walked side by side, in the darkness, all alone. Riku occasionally shot glances at him, but Mickey was determined not to look back at his master. The King was torn inside – he was defenseless without a weapon (Riku had taken it away from him), worn from the previous events, and at the mercy of a turncoat.

_How can this happen to me? I'm the King! _Mickey asked himself. Although no answer surfaced, he wanted so desperately to find one. _It will be my entire fault if the balances Sora achieved are thrown out of proportion again… and if he dies._

Mickey recounted Riku's earlier words. _But… one wrong move… and I swear I'll kick your ass. Or… rather, my new friends are going to do so._

No, he wouldn't want that to happen. 

_But… _Mickey thought inside of his head. _Since I'm already working against what I truly want, what would be the effect on Riku, Sora, and the others if I did kill myself? …Or at least attempt to kill Riku? _Mickey pondered his question. _As long as I can somehow get my wand back… or even better, destroy his Keyblade… I can put an end to it! It's definitely worth the risk!_

At that, Mickey cackled loudly. Riku stopped, and turned to him. 

"What the hell's your problem, Mickey?"

Mickey courageously glanced back at the newly crowned Heartless ruler for the first time, and smirked. "Your mom," he replied, and burst into a fit of laughter again.

"Har," Riku rolled his eyes and continued walking. "Now where exactly is the door, Mickey?"

"In your ass…" Mickey said almost immediately. Riku turned his way again and shot him a dirty look.

"Shut up. You're not funny, you ass…"

"I know you are but what am I?"

"SHUT-THE-FUCK-UP." Riku roared, immediately silencing Mickey. "…Now… tell me where this door is."

Mickey shrugged. "Iono, but I'd think that the king of ALL Heartless would know more than his lowly servant…"

"Well, you're wrong. Now tell me! I know you know. Unless you want me to force it out of you…" Mickey, wanting to assault Riku when he had the advantage, nodded obediently and led Riku to the door gloomily in a disinclined gait. Riku noted his hesitant nature and smiled to himself. Intimidation is the key… but what was with Mickey's sudden change of heart? He was at first scared of Riku and his Heartless, but now… Mickey was being obnoxiously brave. 

"You know, Mickey… I can call upon the Heartless right at this very moment… don't tax your luck."

This shut Mickey up. "So… do you have any idea where the door is?" Mickey shook his head, while Riku rolled his eyes.

"I thought you knew where it was!" Riku said with frustration. 

"How would I know? Every part of Kingdom Hearts looks exactly the same as the other, and this place is almost endless!" 

This gave Riku another brilliant idea. "… You're wrong – some places of Kingdom Hearts have some light, where some don't have any at all."

Mickey looked back at Riku. "Your point being…?"

"Isn't it obvious? Neither of us know where the light comes from – the light must come from the outside of the door!" Riku held out his arms in the air as if it were obvious. "Well, what are you staring at? Let's find it!"

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"Okay, where the hell are we?" Mickey yawned. "Following the light isn't working, smartass… how exactly can you follow light, anyway?"

It had been several hours, and Riku and Mickey fruitlessly looked for the door. That time, however, wasn't put to waste, because Mickey regained his foolish cockiness. "Okay, but how else are we going to find it? Aha, I got it…" Riku got out Mickey's wand, held his hand out at the tip of it and cast a Firaga, lighting the tip of the wand on fire. "This'll help…"

"No it wouldn't… stop that, you're going to damage it!" Mickey roared, grabbing for his wand. Riku held it above his head.

"Well, then, what do you propose that we do, if you're so smart?" Riku asked, putting out the fire. Mickey sighed.

"Iono… maybe ask your Heartless?" Mickey said a matter-of-factedly. 

"Oh yea… good idea!" Riku patted Mickey on the back. Three Heartless – a Powerwild and two Soldiers appeared in front of Riku. Riku gave the three peculiar glares and glances, and the Heartless nodded. The Powerwild ushered Riku to follow him whereas the two Soldiers went to either side of Mickey and dragged him along.

"Hey, what gives?" Mickey complained, trying to step fast enough to keep in pace with the Solders' quick pacing.

"Mickey… stop being so damn cocky and rebellious, when you're nothing but a coward. The combination doesn't go too well together…" Riku told Mickey. Mickey pouted to himself and continued walking hastily.

Within five minutes or so, the Powerwild stood in front of a large, snow-white marble door. Surrounded by darkness, the door looked as if it were glowing, and, as Riku theorized, light was seeping from the bottom of the door. Riku patted the Powerwild's head affectionately before it ran off again. Mickey gaped at the door. 

"Now what?" Riku asked Mickey as he examined the door, poking his finger into a crevice at the bottom of the door.

"Open it?" Mickey said, trying his best to sound innocent. The two Soldiers were still limiting Mickey's movement and actions. Riku glared.

"No shit. But how?"

The Soldier to the right of Mickey looked up to Riku and started blinking in odd fashions. _Was this their way of communicating?_ Mickey asked himself. Riku nodded, as if understanding the Heartless. 

There was a familiar pattern of foot movement. Sure enough, when Mickey turned, he saw the large group of Heartless. Riku hissed and clicked his tongue at them, and the Heartless started to bunch together even tighter – some even climbed onto other's backs. Mickey stared. What were they doing?

"C'mon…" Riku grabbed Mickey by his collar, and climbed onto the top of the small mountain of Heartless. Mickey grabbed onto Riku, looking fearfully down from the top. Mickey was afraid of heights. Even Riku felt somewhat queasy standing on the Heartless, unlike a building, there was a nice chance that they could topple over. Riku violently nodded his head and the Heartless collided into the door, making a large dent. Oh no, was he going to…

"RIKU! NO!" Mickey wailed. "You have no clue what you're doing!"

Riku turned to Mickey as the Heartless moved back to hit the door again. "Mickey, you should know that the only way to break down the door is to use Heartless. Why are you complaining?" 

"Because… first of all, I do not WANT to go out there… and second of all, because … well, I… we don't have a Gummi ship or anything… so… you know…"

"No, I don't… trust me on this… I'll get a Heartless Gummi ship. There have been tons and tons of those before – so all we have to do is get one, right? I—" Riku was cut off. The Heartless banged onto the door again, leaving it to collapse onto the ground. Riku hopped off of the Heartless, and walked outside of the door. At last. He was out of the hellhole. Riku smiled to himself, and then burst of laughing. 

"What are you laughing about?" Mickey asked. He was still on the top of the Heartless… holding onto a small shadow Heartless for dear life. 

"Jump!" Riku commanded. "C'mon, you pussy! JUMP!"

Mickey reluctantly jumped off of the Heartless, landing on his back. "Damn!" Riku helped him up.

"Okay, we might as well work together now…" Riku requested. Mickey stared.

"What exactly do you want to accomplish with all of this?" Mickey asked. Riku ignored his question. "Well? Don't ignore me!"

"Go home, obviously…" Riku's eyes looked misty. "We might encounter problems and all… and I'll need to get rid of this Heartless suit… you know? Now c'mon, let's find a Gummi ship, or something…"eaHHHearHeartless


End file.
